Collected in this volume are some of the most important, provocative, and groundbreaking studies of mediation, communication, and culture. A Media Studies Reader traces the breadth and depth of media studies. Some papers collected here define the field. Others are less-known, but no less important. All mark out ways for understanding a territory — a technological lifeworld in which the dominant forms of capital include information, communication, and mediation.

Think of A Media Studies Reader as a guide book, a collection of maps, a rough guide. This guide:

Does not reproduce a territory, but rather creates a way of seeing a field — a world in which media is not only entertainment, but education and enculturation — symbolically and iconically.

Emphasizes media literacy, the impact of new technologies on everyday life, and philosophies of communication — most with a political, feminist, and radical humanist twist.

Can suit the needs of the undergraduate and graduate alike who share a thirst for observations that bring the field of media studies inquiry to light.

Kevin Williams holds a Ph.D. in the philosophy of communication and media studies from Ohio University. He currently teaches media criticism and production at Shepherd University in West Virginia. He is also a musician — a drummer turned electric violinist. He lives with his partner TC and a rather large assortment of cats who showed up one day and never left. He can be reached for further discussion at kwilliam@shepherd.edu and web.me.com.

At Cognella Academic Publishing, we publish classroom-tested titles for the national market that recapture the teachable moment and create a more resonant learning experience.

Learn more about Cognella, Inc. and our vision of academic publishing.